General Issues

Volume IV "Issue 12"

Let J be an infinite field I an infinite set, V be a J Vector-space, and g :JI → V a J-linear map. It is shown that if dim(V) is not too large (under various hypotheses on card(J)and card(I), if it is finite, respectively less than card(J)respectively less than the continuum), then ker(g)must contain elements (ui)i∈I with all but finitely many components ui nonzero. These results are used to prove that every homomorphism from a direct product not-necessarily associative algebras Ai onto an algebra B, where dim(B) is not too large (in the same senses) is the sum of a map factoring through the projection ΠIAi onto the product of finately many of the Ai, and a map into the ideal {b∈ B /bB= Bb={0}} ⊆ B Detailed consequences are noted in the case where the Ai Lie algebras. A version of the above result is also obtained with the ﬁeld J replaced by a commutative valuation ring. This note resembles in that the two papers obtain similar results on homeomorphisms on innate product algebras; but the methods are deferent, and the hypotheses under which the methods of one note work are in some ways stronger, in others weaker, than those of the other. Also, in we obtain many consequences from our results, while here we aim for brevity, and after one main result about general algebras, restrict ourselves to a couple of quick consequences for Lie algebras

A multicomponent
system of k components having strengths following k- independently and
identically distributed random variables and each component experiencing a
random stress Y is considered. The system is regarded as alive only if at least
s out of k (s < k) strengths exceed the stress. The reliability of such a
system is obtained when strength, stress variates follow exponentiated Fréchet distribution (EFD) with different
power parameters. The reliability is estimated using the ML method of
estimation when samples drawn from strength and stress distributions. The reliability
estimators are compared asymptotically. The small sample comparison of the
reliability estimates is made through Monte-Carlo simulation. Using
real data sets, we illustrate the procedure.

Volume IV "Issue 11"

From 2000 to 2009 Zimbabwe has witnessed the massive closure of companies due to economic and political problems that the country experienced. The majority of workers especially from the private sector were laid off without retrenchment packages. Those who were paid retrenchment packages because of hyper inflation their packages were rendered valueless. Unemployment rate shot up to 87%. The collapse of the private sector and unemployment led to the birth of the informal sector as the only option for survival. This paper aims to assess how informal traders are conducting their business and role they are playing in alleviating poverty. A total of 40 respondents will be selected from informal traders who do their business at Renkin, Bulawayo. A pre-tested structured questionnaire will be used to collect data. Data will be manually analysed and descriptive statistics will employed to present the data.

This study sought to analyse the effectiveness of downsizing in enhancing productivity in companies between 2009 and 2012, a case study of Air Zimbabwe Holdings. The study sought used the descriptive survey method with a population of 30 respondents. A stratified random sampling was employed for the research subjects of Air Zimbabwe Holdings employees. Questionnaires were used as research instruments. Statistical methods like tables were used for the data analysis. The researchers visited Joshua Mqabuko Airport in order to make observations and determine the level of activity. The study aimed among other things to establish the effectiveness of downsizing exercise in enhancing productivity in Air Zimbabwe Holdings in particular. Consistent with the review of literature, the study found that downsizing is motivated by economic, strategic and technological reasons. The positive outcomes are increased profitability, improved productivity, better strategic networks and leaner structures. Downsizing exercise was meant to increase productivity and improve services in Air Zimbabwe Holdings. However, downsizing has also brought in both negative and positive impact to the operations and service delivery by the company. On the other hand, the adverse effects include reduce staff morale, hampered innovative capacity, bad corporate reputation and absenteeism.However, recommendations were also suggested, instead of downsizing, companies may increase sales efforts by capturing new market segments. Investing on machinery like buying more flights than channelling more funds towards downsizing exercise. The management should be in constant touch with workers to boost morale.

The purpose of this study is to explore
how financial literacy has contributed towards SMEs development in the
furniture manufacturing industry in Bulawayo considering that Zimbabwe’s
industry is largely informal. The study seeks to identify the current level of
financial literacy, identify SMEs financial literacy needs and bridge a gap in
order for the SMEs to explore their capabilities and move out of poverty. The
problem informing this study revolves around the SMEs’ inability to efficiently
run their businesses to produce financial reports showing their periodic
performances, how to apply for funding when need arises and how to manage risk.
A qualitative case study research design triangulated with the quantitative
aspects will be used in order to obtain an in depth information about SMEs’
financial literacy needs. A target population of thirty (30) furniture
manufacturers was purposively selected and the findings revealed that financial
literacy influences SMEs’ development.

Worldwide, industrial and agricultural developments have released a large number of natural and synthetic hazardous compounds into the environment due to careless waste disposal, illegal waste dumping and accidental spills. Phytoremediation is a promising technology for the cleanup of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contaminated soil. In the present work the rhizosphere of Acacia catechu (L.). Ex. Del. plants were tested for their abilities to stimulate the microbial degradation of soil pollutants in desert soil contaminated with 2.4-2.8% polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The results showed that the roots of the different plants were density associated with total bacteria, fungi and PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon)-degrading microorganisms, this is confirmed from the (R+/S+) ratios which ranged from 55.6-258.2 (for total bacteria), 20-125.1 (for fungi) and 95.7-348.2 (for PAH degraders). Percentages of PAH-degraders were higher in the rhizosphere soil of A. catechu plants 18.5 % -20 % respectively. The results of the biodegradation of PAH-I, II & III and its fractions showed that great reduction (25.3%) of total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (TPAHs) was observed in the rhizosphere soil of A. catechu respectively. It was observed also that in the polluted non-cultivated soil the PAHs were reduced by 8.1 -10.6 % as a result of biostimulation process only (addition of nutrients). The results also showed that A. catechu rhizosphere was able to reduce more of the saturated (28-29.9%) and more of the aromatics (7.1-7.5%) fractions. It is of interest to find that 5 % of the hardly degradable fraction resins were degraded in rhizosphere soil of A. catechu. The present results clearly demonstrated that A. catechu provided successful phytoremediation process of a contaminated desert soil legume trees.

In the present work, we have investigated magnetic and structural properties of CoFeB thin film deposited at room temperature using magnetron sputtering system on Si substrate. The Magneto optic kerr effect (MOKE) measurement carried out at room temperature of different annealed temperatures (24nm) thin film. The MOKE study shows that magnetic moment exhibits minor changes after annealing, but there is a dramatic change in the coercivity. The possible reason for this change in coercivity is that the film having a strain at higher temperature. The XRD and MOKE characterization was used to confirm the strain and coercivity of the film.

Near
Eye Displays are a kind of Wearable displays which create virtual image in
front of one or both the eye. NEDs have been extensively used over the years
for gaming, personal cinema and in other entertainment and infotainment
applications. In this paper, we have reviewed the various NED based systems
proposed or released in past. The other part of the paper focuses on TI’s DLP
technology based NEDs. We did an elaborate study on the background principles,
working and advantages of this technology. Towards the end we have reviewed the
possible applications of NED displays and we have suggested a genuine
application based on our study.

The main purpose of this study is to measure the correlation by the use of qualitative measurement in relation to the impact of strategic philanthropy on firm’s profitability. This research uses Primary Data Collection Method through Questionnaire to collect professional responses from top level personnel and executives working in various industries. Questionnaires were carefully designed and sent to forty managers to seek their candid and

professional opinions to the research topic. Thirty managers responded within the timeline given (response rate of 75%). The remaining 25% who failed to answer were validated with net income data from ten giants corporations who saw significant positive increase of their net income by participating in some form of strategic philanthropy within the four-year period from 2008-2011. The responses were categorized and analyses were performed on the

responses and the information that were collected to determine data reliability and usefulness. The research findings reveal that strategic philanthropy have direct relationship with firms profitability as the number of years of firm’s adaptation of the strategy and managerial efficiency increases. Majority of the respondents were very much satisfied with the way their firms adopted the managerial strategy to maintain their corporate goals.

The study sought to evaluate the understanding on the benefits of Pay As You Earn (PAYE) taxation system by state university lecturers. The main objective was to establish state university lecturers’ level of awareness on the benefits which they entitled to, when they pay PAYE. A sample of 30 lecturers - 10 from Zimbabwe Open University, 15 from National University of Science and Technology and 5 from Lupane University was selected using convenience sampling technique. A self-administered question was used as the research instrument. The descriptive data was analysed through use of the Microsoft excel software. The study showed that lecturers lack knowledge on the benefits they derive from paying PAYE.

The purpose of this study is to
examine the effectiveness of performance management as a survival strategy in Micro-finance
institutions in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province.
According to Neely (1999), performance management is key to the success
of any organisation if properly implemented. The data for this study were
collected through structured questionnaires from a sample of 15 micro finance
institutions in Bulawayo. Target respondents were front line officers and
business development officers because of their expect opinion and frequency of
their communication with customers. Data were presented in tables and bar
charts and analysed using frequency counts and percentages. In general, the
results show that there is a direct relationship between performance management
of employees and the performance of Microfinance institutions. Microfinance
institutions that exhibited higher
organisational performance are those that trained their employees extensively,
provided them with employment security, gave them open room for participation
and also based the employee appraisal criteria on outcomes.

The study sought to examine
fraud cases in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province. It sought to examine various
forms and causes of fraudulent practices, the effects and inducement of reforms
in the Banking Industry through various legislations targeted at reducing fraud
and introducing control measures and reporting systems by the Central Bank and
the Banking Association of Zimbabwe. A descriptive survey design was employed
in conducting the study while a questionnaire and face to face interviews were
used to solicit data. Data was presented in tables and bar charts and analysed
using frequency counts and percentages. The main findings of the study were
that most of the bank fraud types that are currently taking place include
forgeries, fraudulent transfers, unauthorised lending, and unofficial borrowing
and fictitious accounts. Furthermore, the study revealed that in most cases of
bank fraud, bank employees were involved. From the findings, the study
concluded that bank fraud cases were being perpetrated mostly by Bank personnel
colluding with external parties and Bank management being the most perpetrators
of this crime. The study went on to recommend that further research on
evaluation of training programs, procedures and measures in preventing fraud in
a rapid changing environment be visited
in the near future.

The study sought to describe
how frustrating institutions can destroy relations at Bulawayo Metropolitan
province secondary schools. The main objective is to establish how teachers
respond to lack of leadership interventions within their social contexts. A
sample of 10 secondary schools in Bulawayo was selected using convenience
sampling. A self administered questionnaire was used in data collection. The
descriptive data was analysed using Microsoft excel. The results of the study
show that there is a direct relationship between the quality of the leader and
employee performance in schools.

This
paper examines the prospects and limitations encountered by entrepreneurship in
the Zimbabwean context. Mahadea (2012) describes Entrepreneurship as a critical
phenomenon in employment creation and economic growth although it faces serious
challenges to accomplish its goals. In Zimbabwe, unemployment is approximately
80% (Mago, 2013) and this has forced the majority of the unemployed to engage
into entrepreneurship activities as a survival strategy. The data on this paper
is based on five Bulawayo based manufacturers and purposive sampling was used
to select the participants at Kelvin industrial area. The study used a
descriptive survey design to collect data. The main objective of this paper is
to examine how entrepreneurship has contributed towards employment creation,
economic growth and to examine the major setback towards attaining this goal.
The results show that economic growth performance, low levels of employment and
identification of constrained employment creation strategies are as a result of
poor entrepreneurship conditions. The results show that entrepreneurship can
only be successfully attained when capital is available; there is capacity
building development, technological innovation and good infrastructural
development. Entrepreneurship does not only create employment but also
contributes to economic growth.

Survey items with multiple response categories are ubiquitous in health related
research. A child’s health status is determined by many different factors and
this study investigated several of these aspects. This study aimed to
understand whether the food consumption behavior and other socio-economic,
demographic background are associated to the health status of children. The
students (n=180) from two different schools of Dhaka city participated to the
assessment of this study. Multicategorical logistic regression was applied. It
was found from the study that the habit of taking breakfast and spending some
time in sports had the greatest effect on a child’s BMI.

This
study examines the remuneration of CEOs impact the decision of voluntarily
disclosures of non-GAAP financial information in large mining companies in
Australia.The results support the context of Australia which is different in
terms of the remuneration structure.Fixed pay is positively related with the
non-GAAP metrics disclosures. The two separate models demonstrate that
individual component needs to be considered to get comprehensive insight of the
relationship.

In the present work, we have investigated magneto-transport properties of CoFeB thin film deposited using DC-magnetron sputtering system on Si substrate. The magnetotransport properties of as- deposited and annealed films were characterized at room temperature using four probe method with the in-plane applied magnetic field (H) parallel or perpendicular to the electric current (I). It is found that resistance with varying values of +ve and –ve field did not show identical (decrease or increase) sign with regard to sign of MR. However, MR did change the sign in two cases when compared either at same +ve or –ve H value. In summary, MR behavior observed in as-deposited CoFeB films is concluded as anomalous magnetoresistance behavior. But in case of annealed films, we have observed negative AMR (– 0.35%) when current is perpendicular to field and positive (+ 0.3%) when current is parallel to field at room temperature in annealed (400 C) sample. The change in resistance (i.e. AMR) is generally attributed to spin orbit coupling and scattering of electrons.

This empirical study shows that individual
components of remuneration impact in different way to influence the disclosures
of reconciliation when non-GAAP information is disclosed by the mining
companies in Australia. The fixed pay and short-term incentives are positively
influencing the reconciliation but not the long-term incentives. Although the
logistic regression finds a relationship the extent of relationship is
statistically insignificant.

To evaluate the effect of irrigation (I) quality based on total soluble salts (1200 and 10000 mg L-1), nitrogen (N) rates (0, 175, 225 and 275 kg N ha-1) and sulphur (S) application (0, 4 and 6 t ha-1) on canola yield, yield components and seed oil and protein content, a field experiment was conducted at Hada Al Sham (Agriculture Research Station of King Abdulaziz University KAU) Jeddah Saudi Arabia. Experiment was repeated for two consecutive years (2011-12) in Randomized Complete Block Design with split-split plot arrangement and was replicated thrice. Statistical analysis of the treatment means revealed significant reduction in the number of fruits and 1000-seed weight under saline water irrigation. However salinity stress favored seed oil content as proximate analysis resulted in higher accumulation of oil content under highest level of salt water. Increasing doses of both N and S significant increased plant agronomic (plant height, number of branches plant-1 and 1000-seed weight) and seed protein content and the maximum was at the highest level of applied fertilizers. Interaction of N to S was positive while it was highly negative to salt water for both fertilizers. Irrigation using salty water with addition of 275 kg N ha-1 and 6 t S ha-1 gave the highest 1000-seed weight and seed yield as compared to irrigation with normal water without addition of N or S respectively. In crux, higher rates of N and S fertilizers may ameliorate the salt water stress by improving growth, yield and grain quality of canola crop.

This study tried to find the existence of any
significant difference in the dimensions of the construct Academic delay of gratification, in secondary school students. For this
purpose, the Academic Delay of Gratification Scale(ADOGS) for
college students prepared by Hefer
Bembenutty and Stuart Karabenick(1998) was administered on 50 sub-urban
students (30 boys and 20 girls ) of
classes VIII and IX of a secondary school in New Nagole of Hyderabad city,
Telangana, India. For data analysis, measures like mean, standard deviation
were used. As part of the use of
inferential statistics, paired t test was carried out and the level of
significance was chosen to be 0.05, using SPSS ver.20. Significant difference
was found between the dimensions of academic delay of gratification
construct.